Psychological testing is a crucial component of any mental health treatment facility. It is a vital tool for understanding a person’s challenges, and it can help guide your treatment team in providing effective treatments and solutions. Contact 866.300.5275 if you’d like to learn more about how Foothills at Red Oak Recovery uses psychological testing to inform our treatment program for adolescent boys.
Important Benefits of Psychological Testing
Psychological testing may not be a cure-all, but it can start people in the right direction and lead to a lasting recovery. Below, we have listed some of the most common benefits of psychological testing.
1. Psychological Testing Can Uncover Invisible Mental Illnesses
Uncovering mental illness is the first and arguably most important of our list of psychological testing benefits. Experts may refer to depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental illnesses as invisible illnesses. People suffering from these disorders may hide their symptoms and act like everything is normal, though they are going through intense mental torment. Psychological testing can help treatment specialists identify these disorders. It can help a treatment team understand the full scope of mental health challenges they must address.
2. Psychological Testing Can Inform Treatment Options
Adolescents coming to substance use treatment frequently have co-occurring disorders or complications. Discovering what these disorders are can help the treatment team. They can then choose the suitable therapies, medications, or behavioral techniques that have been effective in helping people with these disorders.
For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy is valuable in treating depression and substance use disorders. It is one of the most effective and well-researched therapy options available, and it can be tremendously beneficial for people struggling with all manner of illnesses.
However, if a person has a borderline personality disorder, cognitive-behavioral therapy is unlikely to be of much help. Dialectical behavior therapy, on the other hand, is often more successful at treating borderline personality disorder. Psychological testing benefits people with these disorders and helps them get the right treatment for their specific conditions.
3. A Psychological Diagnosis Can Provide Comfort
Sometimes, people feel tremendous guilt or shame for their behavior. They ask themselves:
- Why do I act this way when nobody else does?
- Why can’t I focus like other people do?
- How come other people use drugs or alcohol in moderation, but I can’t?
- Shouldn’t I be able to manage my symptoms on my own?
Sometimes, getting a clinical diagnosis can provide the answers to these questions and reassurance that their problems aren’t simply a matter of willpower.
4. Psychological Testing Can Help You Understand Your Behavior
People with mental illnesses can learn valuable information about themselves through psychological testing. This can help people understand their behavior and recognize that they may react differently to certain situations than others.
A greater understanding of their behavior can help them make informed decisions throughout their lives. People can gain personal insight into why they struggle with certain tasks and how they can improve.
5. A Diagnosis from a Psychological Test Can Provide Hope
One of the last benefits of psychological testing is learning that you can recover. Many people with mental health challenges can learn to manage their symptoms with appropriate treatment. This can show people that there is a light at the end of the tunnel; they don’t have to feel this way forever.
Start Treatment with Foothills at Red Oak Recovery Today
With so many benefits of psychological testing, it’s easy to see why it plays a pivotal role in mental health treatment for people of all ages. Foothills at Red Oak uses psychological testing as a key component of our treatment plan for adolescent boys with substance use disorders. Our goal is to ensure they get the help they need when they need it. To learn more about our program, call 866.300.5275 to speak to one of our team members and help your child get the treatment they need today.
